A Griffon and a Nightingale
by Bert-Wrighty
Summary: Lyla Mahariel, Hero of Ferelden, returns to Skyhold to be reunited with her love, Leliana. Beware this story contains mild spoilers from DA:I This is not a sequel to 'From the Dales to Denerim' merely an alternate future.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's note**_

_**This story contains spoilers for DA:I. I'm going to keep them to a minimum but it would be unfair not to warn you. It uses my Warden (Lyla Mahariel from my other stories) and the life she led after the blight. There are some mild spoilers to FTDTD but nothing ground-breaking.**_

_**I hope you enjoy.**_

These mountains were a bundle of bad memories for the elf, she had been here many years ago, and the time she spent in them was still raw. Granted, she had only spent time in Orzammar and the deep roads, she had little experience of Haven or the surrounding areas, but she had heard what had transpired there. Twice she had left Leliana to go to Haven without her. Twice Leliana had nearly died there, it was another time Lyla had failed.

It had been four years since she had last seen her love and the tales she had heard about Leliana scared Lyla. After Lyla left, Leliana dove into her position as the left hand of the divine. She had held the position since 9:34 but had split her time between Amaranthine and Val Royeaux, spending as much time with her warden as she spent with her Divine. Lyla left for a good reason, a reason that Leliana agreed was of utmost importance, but it meant leaving the known world for a time, it meant leaving Leliana behind for an unknown amount of time.

When Lyla left, Leliana struggled to cope, she had thrown herself into the relationship, and she felt the pain of missing her love every day. Divine Justinia V, one of Leliana closest and oldest friends, kept her busy with her position and it helped for a time, but as the days grew further away from the last time she saw her lover, her heart grew colder.

It took four years for her to find what she was searching for and it couldn't have happened any sooner. She was camped out in a lonely desert when she spotted another person in the distance. She had stopped at a small village a month earlier and they had told her of a sorcerer who could have what she wanted, he did, but it seems someone was following her.

She reached into her tent and grabbed her weapons, ready for a fight. She still wielded the Dal'thanu that she gained during the blight, a decade past, but shortly after that dark time, Leliana had commissioned a blade of great beauty. It was a sword made of the rarest metal, star-metal a gift from the heavens, and intricate carvings of the creators ran up its blade. The hilt was made with the finest Antivan leather but Lyla's favourite part of the blade was its bottom. At the bottom of the hilt was a small beautifully designed carving, it was a nightingale rising from the ashes of a dragon, impossibly detailed by the expert artisans of Denerim.

The nightingale itself was a copy of part of Lyla's vallaslin. Every other elvhen that Lyla knew only ever had one vallaslin ceremony. Only ever gave themselves to one god, but that was not enough for Lyla Mahariel. She had gotten her original blood writing when she was just fourteen years old, adding a dagger on her left cheek when she was twenty-three. It would be two years later, just after the blight was over, that she travelled to a small clan north of the Ferelden capital and added to it. She got a nightingale standing proud on the right side of her neck and the bottom of her chin, its beak meeting the edge of her lips. This was dedicated to the woman who had stolen her heart, Leliana.

Grabbing her sword and axe she stood ready to meet the dwarf running to her from the distance, she wore a green cloak and a badge that Lyla did not recognise on her left breast, but as she approached, she raised her hands in the gesture of surrender. "Don't hurt me, I come from the Inquisition." The dwarf spoke plainly.

"What does the inquisition want of me?" Lyla growled, the years may have changed the elf slightly but she still acted the same way. She was violent and still reacted in anger more than she should.

"Sister Nightingale sent me to find you; you are the Hero of Ferelden, yes?" Lyla growled once more, there was nothing she hated more than that title. Yes she had saved the country, but it made it sound like she cared about the country itself, she didn't. She only saved the world to save her clan, which was all that had ever mattered to her. Saving her family.

"Nightingale?" The name bounced around Lyla's skull. Lyla was not so far from civilization that she hadn't heard of the Inquisition, nor the rumour of Sister Nightingale helping them save the world. That was just like her Leliana, helping to save the world once more. The rumours had told her of the Divine's murder and the sole elvhen survivor of the explosion that killed her. If the rumours were true then it would have meant Leliana had lost everyone she cared for, and it explained how her beautiful cheerful love could turn into Sister Nightingale, a woman who could turn ones blood cold with a single look. "Mythal'enaste, please tell me that's Leliana?"

"It sure is, the Inquisitor sent a letter as well. They both need you." The scout stepped forward, bravely taking a seat by the small fire Lyla had set before her tent. "I've been tasked with finding you and bringing your reply back to Skyhold, let me tell you, you are not an easy woman to find!"

"I've been hunted my whole life, durgen'len, you get easy at hiding when you have to. Please give me the letters and help yourself to water." Lyla took the letters from the small dwarf and retired to her tent to read them, if it truly was a letter from her love, the first in too long, she knew she needed her privacy.

She read the letter from the Inquisitor first, the elvhen that Lyla had heard survive the blast, Sulahn'nehn lavellan. The elf was asking for help on dealing with all the shemlen she was forced to deal with daily, a practice that Leliana had told her Lyla had grown accustomed to. The letter itself was mainly a young woman's rambling about how she couldn't deal with the pressure and needed the help of her hero, Lyla Mahariel; apparently, she had grown up hearing tales of her and the bard. It had helped shape Sulahn'nehn into the woman she was now, a proud lesbian, if it hadn't been for Lyla there was no way her people would have even reluctantly accepted that. Lyla famous relationship with the bard had changed a lot in the world. The Dalish were no longer forbidding relations between the same sexes, it was still frowned upon, but at least it wasn't illegal. The warden read the remainder of the letter and decided it was merely a pretence for Leliana to send one. The bard must have asked for the Inquisitor's help in finding her but needed a real reason, more important to the cause that reuniting lost lovers.

Leliana's letter was different, much worse in some ways but delightful in others. The first thing Lyla noticed was all the tear stains that covered the sheet of paper, it broke her heart in two before she even read the letter and that ensured it stayed broken.

The pain of missing her love was too strong to bear and tears fell from the elf's eyes as she read how lost Leliana had felt when Justinia died. She questioned her faith more than ever and Lyla cursed herself for not being there for her love. There were a number of small stories in the letter, telling her how similar the 'herald of Andraste' was to Lyla, both being angry elves who hated anything to do with shemlen or the Chantry but like Lyla, she was smart enough to look past it at times.

Another story in the letter told how lavellan had all but gushed over Leliana when she realised who she was. The elf practically begged Leliana to tell stories of her love and their time together, citing Lyla as her biggest hero, it was heart-warming, and Lyla was glad that Leliana had at least someone to talk with. It ended with a simple message, 'come home soon, my love, I miss you more every day.' Moreover, it was enough to break the small elf; she sat on her bedroll sobbing for a time before finally moving.

Stepping out of the tent, after drying her eyes, she came face to face with the dwarven woman. "Ir abelas, lethallan, I didn't ask your name, what is it?"

"Harding, I'm the head scout for the Inquisition. Sister Nightingale trusted no one else with those letters. I have paper and ink with me so you can write a reply now." The dwarf bounced to her feet, reaching into her pack before Lyla stopped her.

"No need, Harding, I'm coming back with you." Lyla's heart was racing, she knew now that she had to see her Leliana again. Her mission had been a success, the thing she was searching for was real and she had a way to make it now, but that could be done back at the Skyhold. She could use the Inquisitions resources to help her.

That was how Lyla found herself climbing the tall, frozen mountains in between the dales and Ferelden in the middle of winter. The things that elf would do for love. It had taken many months to return to the castle even though they had not stopped once, except for a small shopping trip to Val Royeaux where Lyla had picked up a gift for her love. Harding rushed ahead as they neared the gates, Lyla asked her not to tell anyone she was there just yet, and the dwarf promised to keep her secret.

As she walked across the lonely bridge that lead to the courtyard, Lyla was astounded at the mixture of people she saw before her. When she had left, she had never assumed she would see all the races mixing and happy about it, but that was exactly what she saw. Elvhen talking with shemlen, Qunari talking with Dwarves, and any mixture of the above. It was inspiring to see, and Lyla was delighted to know that one of the people was ultimately responsible for it.

"Growler?!" a voice called out across the courtyard and Lyla was delighted to recognise its owner. Varric Tethras. She had met the dwarf years earlier when his group found her and her wardens in the deeproads. They had gained a powerful recruit that day, a mage called Bethany who was the sister of Varric's friend and more importantly, she had found her sister, Merrill. Varric had ensured that Merrill was looked after in Kirkwall during the troubled times there and Lyla had endless amount of time for the merchant because of it. "Leliana's gonna be happy to see you, she's been bored senseless since we got here and you know how dangerous that can be."

"So she is here?" Lyla all but squealed, yes Harding had confirmed that Nightingale was Leliana, a fact that Lyla had suspected, but to have the storyteller before her tell her that was something completely different. She could feel her face redden as she imagined the welcome she would receive from the bard and it took her a moment to remember that she had asked the dwarf a question.

"Of course she is. Nothing but the best for the Inquisition and you know as well as I that the Nightingale is the best in the business. She's in a meeting with the 'war council', mainly Ruffles and Growler Junior."

"Growler Junior?" Lyla smirked; she had forgotten how friendly the dwarf was. Over the few years between recruiting Bethany and her disappearance, she had visited Kirkwall often and the friendship that began under the ground was extended and grown strong above it. Hawke, Bethany's sister, Varric, and the pirate Isabela had looked after Merrill over the years, no easy task knowing how clumsy and forgetful her sister was, but they did it nonetheless. "Your nicknames get more inventive every time, durgen'len."

"Our noble Inquisitor. Angry as can be, the same as you in fact. Is Daisy the only happy Dalish elf in existence? Varric laughed at Lyla's indignant face. "Come on; let's get a drink whilst you wait for the nightingale to be free. No doubt you have some stories to tell and you can meet the rest of the inner circle of the Inquisition."

Lyla gladly followed the friendly dwarf towards the small tavern that was sat in the centre of the courtyard, she pulled the hood of her winter cloak tight around her head as she walked, hoping to hide her features from the public. Whilst the fame of the fifth blight had ebbed some, she was still extremely recognisable and she hated it.

The tavern was full of various groups of people, and a bard struggled to make her voice heard over the hustle and bustle. Varric waved at the barman, a great dwarf, as he entered and held up two fingers before pointing over to a table in the corner of the bar where a small group of people were sitting. Lyla recognised only one of them, a Templar she had almost killed during the blight. This was going to be awkward.

The rest of the party was as varied as could be, from a small blonde elf to a giant Qunari warrior, it seemed that the Inquisitions inner circle was as varied as the rest of the world and Lyla loved it. Gone was the prejudice she had felt towards most humans now, she had outgrown that during the blight, but she still felt anger towards Templars, and the Tevinter. Slavers like them where what made the world evil.

"Oh great, another elf. Let's hope this one isn't too elfy." The blonde elf spat as Lyla approached, soliciting a growl from the warden, which in turn caused a giggle in the blonde-haired woman. "Maker, she's a right one, isn't she?"

"Buttercup, this is Growler, better known as the Hero of Ferelden." The table stopped as one as the bomb dropped. That was before the Templar stood to his feet.

"I remember you." He spoke before realising he had stood and sat back down. "I never apologised for my behaviour after the tower. I have had many conversations with Leliana about it and I have come to realise I acted like, well like an arse."

"I was hardly any better. I acted as little more than a barbarian when last we met, lethallin. Any friend of Leli's is a friend of mine." She smiled as she sat beside him. The barman appeared at her side, a mug of mead in his hand as he placed it on the table, Varric passed him some gold and sat beside her and began introducing the rest of the party to her.

Many stories were shared and more drinks were devoured, as the day grew old. Lyla had to shake herself from the table as she realised that she still hadn't been to see her love. She had had too much fun with the circle of friends before her, they reminded her too much of the time she had spent in camp during the blight.

"Falonen, I need your help." She slurred, perhaps she had had a bit much to drink, but that was irrelevant now. She had to surprise Leliana. She had to. "I want to surprise Leli. Can you help me sneak into her tower?"

"That's simple." Sera giggled. "I could spill custard over her letters? No, she won't leave the tower then. Steal some of her birds? Nah, birds shit everywhere, fuck that. Oh!" The elf smirked and giggled once more. "I'll go and nick one of her statues. You know the ones of Andraste or whatever. She'll have to chase me then." Another giggle fit occurred in the elf, much to the amusement of the rest of the table.

"She'll kill you." Varric muttered.

"nah. Not once elfy over there has her way with her. If she's as good at fucking as she is at killing shite, Leliana won't be walking straight for a week."

Lyla squeaked but managed to keep it quiet enough for no one to hear. She was still conservative when it came to talking about sex, it had taken her long enough to talk about it with the woman she loved and talking about it with anyone else, even ten years on, was still incredibly embarrassing for her. "Ma serannas, lethallan."

"Oh talk proper, will ya?" Sera grunted before stumbling to her feet. "Right, give me five and wait for me to run past here again, hopefully your woman won't be too puckered to chase me."

The bard sang of sad, nightingale's eyes as Lyla waiting at the top floor of the inn, she was staring out of the window and hoping that Leliana would fall for the bait, and she did. Shortly after Sera disappeared into the castle, she appeared rushing out of it again, whooping, and laughing as Leliana ran after her.

Lyla almost forgot to move once she saw Leliana. Her breath was stolen once again. Even from the distance, she saw her now, Lyla could still she the beauty of the woman that stole her heart, and she felt her whole body flush with emotion. She ran up the stairs and across the battlements, interrupting one of Cullen's meetings as she did so, but he didn't seem to care.

Eventually she reached the rookery. There was a table in front of the stairs where Leliana had obviously been writing letters to her many agents and as Lyla sat at the desk she began to scan the table. There were many boring letters about the chantry and such that Lyla disregard but she recognised one of them. It was one she had sent shortly after she left Amaranthine, four long years ago. Leliana had obviously been reading it again and Lyla felt a pang of regret that she hadn't simply waltzed up and embraced the woman. Instead, she had insisted on making things more difficult, hoping that Leliana would enjoy the surprise.

She didn't have to wait long for her love to return.

Orlesian curses echoed up the tower as Leliana approached and Lyla suddenly felt very silly. She had anticipated this moment thousands of times during the last few months but now it was here she didn't know how to react. She was simultaneously terrified and more excited than she had ever felt in her life. Leliana finally reached the top step and stopped, mouth agape and the papers she held in her hands falling to the floor. "Lyla?" She gasped and in a shot, Lyla was across the table, embracing the woman she loved.

The held each other and kissed for longer than either would like to have admit but, creators, was it worth it.

"I didn't realise quite how much I missed you, ma vhenan." Lyla whispered into the taller human's chest. "Never again. I'm not leaving your side ever."

"I was afraid I'd lost you." Leliana's voice broke as she spoke. It had been a trying year so far, the loss of her oldest friend, her missing lover, and the apparent end of the world had taken their toll on her. However, it was better now; she had never allowed herself to hope that she would one day see her love again, claiming that it was a useless distraction from her job.

Lyla pulled back slightly to look at her beloved, and the look on the woman's face was enough to turn Lyla's blood to ice. She was scowling.

"You've been drinking." Leliana's scowl dissolved into a smirk, she wasn't truly angry, how could she be when her love was finally home. "How long have you been at Skyhold that you were able to get drunk?"

"It was Varric's fault!" Lyla exclaimed before jumping out of the woman's arms. "You know what he's like, as soon as he saw me he had to know any stories I had. The only way I could escape was to get that blonde elf to prank you."

"That was your idea?" Leliana growled, imitated her love quite brilliantly. "Of course it was, why am I surprised? Oh stop sniggering!" She lunged at the elf before cursing. "I'll kill you, Lyla."

Lyla lurched back from the grasping arms of Leliana before laughing and jumping past her, towards the stairs. "You can't kill me if you can't catch me, vhenan." With a roll she took off down the stairs, pushing past the small crowd of people that had collected in the library below them.

Tevene curse words followed her as she pushed past a tall dark man but Lyla ignored them as she continued down the stairs to the ground floor. She knew that Leliana was close behind her, daring once to look back quickly before seeing the joy in her loves eyes. However, she knew she had to keep up the charade of running for her life. This contemplation threw her straight into another woman. One who wore a beautiful Antivan gown, the golden shoulders accentuating the wearer's beauty.

"Josie!" Lyla cried. She had met the woman a few times in Val Royeaux with Leliana. They were old friends from court and when Lyla visited the Orlesian capital with her love, Josephine was usually there to greet them, even going so far as to throw gargantuan balls for the left hand of the divine. "Help, Leli is trying to kill me, I need somewhere to hide and quick."

Josephine, using all of the grace and patience that a life in court had given her, looked down at the little elf and took her by the arm, pulling her towards her office. "Come, I have a place I hide sometimes. She will never find you."

"Ma serannas, lethallan." Lyla laughed as they ran through the throne room. Varric was sat in the corner of the entrance and laughed as he saw them, moments later he only laughed harder as a red-faced Leliana burst out of the small corridor, searching the room for the elf.

She turned to face the laughing dwarf but he merely pointed towards the back of the room, where a flash of golden ruffles could be spotted rushing to one of the side rooms. Usually he would be all for pranks and the such, he often helped Sera plan some of hers, but Leliana was not someone he wanted to mess with, at times she seemed as likely to shiv you and to smile at you.

"So why do you have to hide, Josie?" Lyla asked as she crept into a small hatch just off a small office.

"Oh, it's silly really." Josephine's face flushed and she turned away from Lyla. "Sometimes a man follows me around the castle and watches me."

"What!" Lyla growled, forcing herself back into the room. All pretence of hiding from her lover was gone and anger flushed through her bones. She counted Josephine as one of her friends and she had vowed never to allow them to come to harm. "Who is he?"

"He's harmless!" the ambassador turned back to face the angry elf, she had heard that tone of voice before and more importantly, she had heard the famous tales of what happened when 'The Tempest' got angry. "I think he's just shy but it's very creepy."

"Who is-"Lyla began before a shout shut her up.

"LYLA MAHARIEL." Leliana screamed as she entered the room. Like Lyla, she knew there was no anger between the lovers, in fact she was happier chasing her love than she had been for years, but she had to keep up the game. "I am going to kill you, knife-ear." She growled before stopping in her tracks when she saw the scowl on Lyla's face. "What happened?"

"Someone is following Josie around." Lyla growled, "And she won't tell me who."

"Josie, is it true?" Leliana whispered, like Lyla, Leliana called Josephine one of her closest friends and Lyla's fierce loyalty had rubbed off on her. No-one would hurt Josie.

"It's Blackwall." Josephine was defeated, she knew that the warden was harmless but it definitely was terrifying to be followed. Turning in a dark corridor and being confronted by a hairy man was not something she wanted to repeat. "He doesn't mean anything by it."

"The Grey Warden is following you around? Josie, you should have told me, or Sulahn'nehn, we both know how much she cares for you. She could have stopped it immediately."

"He's a Grey Warden?" Lyla growled. "Forget asking the Inquisitor, I'll stop him myself. Where is he?" She marched towards the door, not waiting for the answer. If Josephine wouldn't tell her then Lyla would just find the man herself.

"He's usually at the stables, I'll go with you, Choufleur, it's been too long since I saw you scare the pants off someone." Leliana stormed behind her small lover, anger and excitement forced its way through her body. She was annoyed that her reunion with Lyla had been interrupted but this was a better reason than most, Blackwall would back off.

It was dark by the time the pair left the main castle and the courtyard was lit by candle light alone. Lyla stopped for a moment, allowing Leliana time to catch up, and she looked up to her lover, enraptured by the woman's beauty. "Creators, how do you still manage to look that good?" She smirked as Leliana took her hand, "Look at me, all scars, and cuts, and you still look as beautiful as the day I met you."

"Flatterer." Leliana giggled, she had missed her elf but disagreed with what she said. It was both her pride and her arrogance that kept her beautiful but she still saw cracks in the mask of beauty. Crow's feet, and wrinkles on her brow that took too long to hide. It was nice to be reminded that someone still found her beautiful at least. "You are not as bad as you imagine, my love. The scars tell me how brave you are, and your tattoos, Maker's breath. I could stare at them all day long."

"Now who's the flatterer? In addition, a blasphemer it seems. Imagine, breathing your god and mine in the same sentence, what would he think of you?" She laughed as the bard started to pull her down towards the stable, deciding not to answer Lyla's teasing in anything but Orlesian curses.

Blackwall was standing off to the right of the barn as Lyla entered; he seemed like most of the other Wardens she had met, all muscle, and no tact. He was carving a wooden Griffon as they approached and Lyla scoffed, loudly. "Shemlen." She growled as he turned.

"Sister Nightingale? Who's your companion?" Blackwall spoke plainly. He recognised the elf, slightly, but that didn't help any. She could just be a servant or a scout that he had seen in the field. Too many faces not enough names.

"This, Blackwall, is Lyla Mahariel, former Warden-commander of Ferelden." Leliana spat. The venom in her voice was enough to make Blackwall step back before the realisation hit him. A warden here and talking to him? This was bad. Very bad.

"Commander!" Blackwall fell to his knee before the small elf, who grunted and stepped towards him. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"I'm not the commander anymore, shemlen." Lyla growled. About a month before she left on her quest, Weisshaupt had demanded that Lyla break off relations with Leliana. A relationship between the Warden-Commander of Ferelden and The Left Hand of The Divine was too much of a political time bomb for her superiors. It sparked her decision to abandon her position. She had never wanted to be a warden and only stayed in the position to help her people. Choosing between Leliana and the Grey Warden's was not a choice at all. Leliana always came first.

"I'm here because you are stalking Josephine. Leave her alone, shem." She growled, Blackwall stood op and towered over the little elf, not intimidated in the least. However, he did have the decency to look embarrassed.

"I'm not stalking her, I just happen to have business in the great hall and she happens to be there." He stammered.

"Bullshit." Leliana stabbed her finger towards the warden. "You are creeping her out, Blackwall. Even if you haven't heard the rumours of what Lyla does to those who hurt her friends, you know what I am capable of doing to you. Leave her alone or suffer my wrath."

"I didn't want to hurt her!" The man protested, "I just didn't know what to say to her."

"All you have done is scare her. It's too late to talk. Leave her alone, shemlen." Confident that the man had received the message Lyla turned and left the barn, Leliana was close behind. She made a mental note to inform Inquisitor lavellan about the man and if Leliana's suspicions were correct, Sulahn'nehn would have more than one reason to warn off the man herself.

"Ma vhenan." Lyla paused. "Ir abelas. I have wasted enough time; can we retire somewhere and be alone? I have missed you terribly, my love." The elf stepped into the welcoming arms of her love, who shortly after led her to her quarters.

A night filled with drinks, stories, and most importantly, love followed and both women were happier than they had been for years.

_**Author's note**_

_**I don't know how often I'll update this but the story definitely isn't over.**_

_**The stuff with Blackwall was inspired by some party banter where it is revealed he watches Josephine and follows her about, incredibly creepy if you ask me.**_


	2. Chapter 2 - Calling

_**Author's note**_

_**Oh, and a shoutout to 'ChaseingTheWind' another fantastic writer on this site for being a great person to bounce ideas off of. Go and check out their stuff! **_

Chapter 2 – Calling

Lying in Leliana's arms used to bring comfort to Lyla. Once upon a time, she could just wish all of her problems away, just being held by her bard was enough to clear her head and provide a calm space. During the blight, Lyla's nightmares reached a crescendo but being near Leliana would diminish the signs of the taint in her blood just enough to allow her peaceful sleep.

Not anymore.

Lyla's calling started as she entered Orlais but the excitement and her nerves about seeing her love again had allowed her to ignore it. That was months ago now and the song had been getting louder ever since and Lyla feared, no she knew, that her time was running out. She may have found a cure but she still had to produce it and take it, and that would be difficult unto itself.

The song ran through her head, an eerie beauty to it, tapping her skull similar to the darkspawn. She gently pulled herself from Leliana's arms and climbed out of the small bed. Leliana had set up her bedroom in the rookery, seeing little reason to leave her work for any extended amount of time and fortunately the ravens kept quiet during the night, mostly. It also meant that it was a short walk for Lyla to reach the outside, she needed to see the stars now, a connection to her creators that always helped calm her down.

She slowly and quietly made her way across the creaky old floorboards that made up the top floor of the tower, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't wake her lover. Reaching the strong, heavy door Lyla carefully opened it, glancing back at Leliana when the door hinge creaked but fortunately, the woman didn't stir.

The cold mountain air hit her like a brick wall and Lyla's breath was stolen from her as she shut the door behind her. The song was getting louder now, calling for her to give in. That beautiful, beautiful noise inside her head demanding that she submit to the old gods, the archdemons, the darkspawn. Submit to all that she hated, all that made her sick.

The contents of her stomach rose quickly and Lyla lurched forward, vomiting loudly over the side of the tower. It didn't make her feel any better and the song was just getting louder now that she had no distractions.

"No, no, no, no. You will not take me." She grunted whilst pacing the small balcony that surrounded the tower's roof. "I have waited this long, lost too much to leave her now. I refuse." She muttered, stopping to sit with her back on the small brick wall that rose up as a guard against falling. Bringing her knees close to her chest she allowed herself a moment to sob. She closed her eyes, shutting them as tight as she could, hoping to shut out the whispers that had begun behind them.

The blight was coming for her.

The calling.

The end.

"NO." She growled, "I will never submit. Ir revas, ir suledin. I am free." The whispers seemed to laugh behind her eyes, the song grew louder, and Lyla jumped to her feet, knowing one way to silence them, at least for now.

She had heard the calling once before, or at least the song of an Archdemon, when she fought the monster on the top of that tower in Denerim and then pain had dulled it.

She screamed.

It bounced off the mountains around her and returned to her ears as an almost foreign noise. The anguish and fear in her voice made her blood boil with anger and she unleashed her fury, throwing punch after punch into the stone walls of the tower with no care for the pain she felt. Blood flew from her knuckles as she continued but the song was growing quieter, she was winning again and almost felt herself once more.

"Love?" Leliana's voice crept up on her; she had been so involved with herself that the spymaster had managed to approach without the elf noticing. "What's wrong?"

Lyla turned to face her, the pain in her hands shooting up her arms as they grew ever warmer with her blood. She saw the pain and fear on Leliana's face and only felt selfish for causing it. She bowed her head to the floor as she fell to her knees, unable to speak.

"Talk to me, love. I am here for you." Leliana huddled around her lover, encapsulating her with her arms, providing a warm, safe place for the elf.

"It's happening too quickly." Lyla grunted. "I can hear my calling." Tears streamed down her face and she couldn't bring herself to look at Leliana, not now. "The song won't stop. Make it stop. Creators, please make it stop."

"Hush, my love." Leliana cooed into her ear, holding her as tight as she dared. "Just listen to my voice and concentrate on my arms." Softly, Leliana began to sing an old elven lullaby to her elf, the knot in her chest relaxing once the elf did.

**-AGAN-**

"Creators! What am I going to say to her?" Sulahn'nehn Lavellan was pacing the spacious office that Josephine worked in. Her short red hair was more dishevelled than usual as she ran her marked hand through it, feeling more nervous now than she had sealing the breach in the sky.

"How can you be so scared of talking to one woman?" Josephine laughed, "She's Leliana's lover, how scary can she be?"

"That makes it worse!" Sulahn'nehn turned and rested her elbows on the desk, covering her face with her hands. "Leliana is terrifying! And Warden Mahariel is my hero!" She grunted in frustration before looking up at the woman before her.

"Your hero?" Josephine inquired, "I didn't know that, why is she your hero?"

"Are you serious?" the elven mage stood tall, "firstly, she saved all of Thedas, stopped the blight quicker than anyone ever has before. Second, she managed to gain elvhen land for the first time in ages. Lastly, it was her influence that made the Hahren change their minds about same-sex relations. Josie, if it wasn't for Mahariel I wouldn't be the woman I am today."

"Well, that's some introduction isn't it?" Lyla smirked. The whispers had grown quiet as she slept and she had recovered from her breakdown the night before. As she stood in the doorway to the office, Leliana beside her bore a smile that Lavellan had never seen on her face. "I am just an elf, lethallan, like you. You're the inspiration here, not me."

Sulahn'nehn squeaked and all but jumped on the spot, causing Josephine to laugh loudly, "It seems you have embarrassed the poor Inquisitor, Lyla. Lavellan, are you ok?"

"She'll be fine." Lyla replied before the elf had a chance to recover, "However, I need to speak to her alone, can we go through to the war table?"

"Ma nuvenin, Hahren." Sulahn'nehn replied, motioning behind her to the lone corridor leading to the war room."

"Creators, don't call me Hahren, I'm not that old yet." Lyla smiled, planting a kiss on her spymaster's cheek before stepping through towards the centre of the Inquisition. Sulahn'nehn shortly followed.

"You seem happy, Leli." Josie smiled across her mountains of paper. They had been friends for a long time, and as such were very close, but the woman Leliana had turned into recently had scared Josephine; she was so very cold.

"I didn't realise how much I missed her." Leliana planted herself on one of the high backed seats by the fire. She smiled to herself as Josephine came to join her, bathing themselves in the warmth of the fire to combat the chill of the winter mountain air. "It's only been one night and already I feel a huge weight has been lifted off of me. Together we can do anything and it is empowering. However, don't think that having Lyla here has made me blind, Josie. I saw the way you looked at the Herald."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Josephine spluttered as her cheeks coloured. She had been staring at the Inquisitors behind, but she had hoped that Leliana had missed it. A stupid hope, of course, Leliana was nothing if not attentive; it came with the job Josephine guessed.

"Oh don't lie to me, Josie. Sulahn'nehn is a beautiful woman; you shouldn't be ashamed to look at her. I haven't missed the way she looks at you as well; perhaps I should have a word with her." Leliana smirked. Josephine was a good friend, an old friend, and it was great fun to tease her. It took Leliana back to their old days of court. Pranking the unsuspecting courtiers with more and more inventive schemes before Marjolaine put a stop to it. "Hmmm, in fact, I'll interrupt their meeting right now." She rose to her feet before Josephine all but tackled her back to her chair.

"You will do no such thing!" Josephine squealed before she relaxed and her brain caught up with her body. "Wait, she looks at me?"

"Oh, Josie." Leliana laughed, "Sometimes I wonder how you can be so successful, yet miss so much. Of course, she looks at you; you are beautiful. Now what are we going to do about it?"

**-AGAN-**

"Ir abelas, lethallan. I never properly introduced myself. I am Lyla Mahariel, of the Sabrae clan." Lyla softly spoke as they walked towards the war room. There was much to discuss and little time to do it but she had to at least attempt to be polite to her fellow elvhen, she owed her that much.

"Andaran atish'an, Lyla. I am Sulahn'nehn Lavellan but please, call me Su or Joy, I don't mind which." Joy was the translation for her name and from a young age, Su had called herself that. It was hard for a child to pronounce the name and it had been easier for her to say Joy, the name had stuck since then. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She paused as they pushed the heavy door to the war room and Lyla gasped as they entered.

It was wondrous. She had seen courts and throne rooms beyond anything most elves would ever see, a positive of being the paramour of the left hand of the divine and a warden-commander, but this was unique. The elongated table in the centre of the room portrayed a map of the countries that neighboured the castle, Orlais and Ferelden. Marking certain places on the map, no doubt important positions for the Inquisition, were different pieces and flags.

The walls were covered various drapes and curtains, all depicting an elven mask, another image obviously chosen by Sulahn'nehn. She requested the castle be decorated with a Dalish aspect to remind her of her people. This included flags Of Dalish heraldry, and she had either bought or carved some statues of the elven gods to present in the throne room.

"You said you needed to talk to me, lethallan?" Sulahn'nehn asked as she lent upon the table.

"Yes, I need the inquisitions help." Lyla smiled towards her. She had been worried about this moment, if her request was denied she would have to leave the castle soon; there was little time to spare. "I know you have been told of the Calling, and that was partly why you went to Adamant. However, if you don't know exactly what it is, as I suspect, I'll give you a brief overview. After a few decades of service, or much less in the case of blight-conscripted wardens, we hear a calling from the archdemons, the same that the darkspawn hear, and we must descend into the deeproads to kill ourselves. It is seen as a curse of the Wardens, one final sacrifice for the world. However, I wouldn't, no I couldn't leave Leliana alone again." Lyla sighed and leaned on the table, she could see confusion and fear in the Inquisitors eyes, but she needed to finish what she had started.

"I left Leliana four years ago; our whole relationship was shadowed by the fact that I could die any day, that I would hear the calling and have to abandon her. Therefore, I left to try to find a cure for it. There have been rumours of warden's surviving the calling for years, I have even met one who survived it, but none could ever tell me how. So I left Ferelden, I left Orlais, I left the known world, hoping beyond all hope that someone out there, where the blight had not yet touched, would hold the cure for me. And they did." A small laugh left her as she finished the sentence, relief spread through her and she allowed herself to relax once again. The Inquisitor smiled warmly at the older elf, not judging and understanding her need for a cure. "It requires great magic, a kind I had never seen but I'm sure someone here could reproduce from the scrolls I acquired, and more. There are very rare ingredients that I cannot get a hold of on my own, I need your organization's help for that. Finally, I needed somewhere I can be safe whilst I am cured. It will be a very painful experience and may leave me weak for a time, and I could not survive like that in the wilderness on my own."

"Lethallan, I will do everything within my power to help you, give the list to Josephine and she can arrange to gather them, and leave the scrolls with me, if I am unable to perform the spells I will ask Solas to see them. However, I have been told by one of your fellow wardens that all the wardens in Orlais have been hearing this calling, are you?"

Lyla grimaced but stood tall, ignoring the disgust she felt, ignoring the outburst she had last night. "Yes. I have been hearing it ever since I entered Orlais, it has only been getting harder to ignore. Ir abelas for my weakness, lethallan, but I can still fight for you."

"I know, Lyla. Leliana would kill me though, if I sent you off somewhere. We have more and more elvhen joining us as our fame grows, and they are uneasy training with ex-Templars and shemlen. You are to train them, and help Cullen with training our other forces. We can meet with him later today and figure it out properly."

"Ma nuvenin, lethallan. I'll go and give Leliana the good news." Lyla smiled at her new leader, it was refreshing to be taking orders for once instead of giving them and Lyla was excited to help save the world once more. "I have to ask, why does Varric call you Growler junior?"

Sulahn'nehn laughed and pointed her finger at the elf before her. "It's your fault! I would be the original if it weren't for you! But the reason he calls me it is because I was very angry when we first met." She laughed again and smiled at Lyla, "How would you react if everyone called you the herald of someone else's god? Creators, I was angry!"

"Makes sense, Joy." Lyla laughed and understood how annoying it would have been. Truthfully, she had been subjected to a lot of abuse for her beliefs as well. Being the lover of the left hand of the divine, it was expected for Lyla to be Andrastrian and everyone but Leliana treated her differently because of it.

**-AGAN-**

Leliana was understandably relieved to find that her lover would be staying at Skyhold, going so far as to ensuring she had as light a load of work as she could possible afford to as she wanted to spend some time celebrating. She told her love that she would be able to afford her some time for a midday meal and as such, Lyla made her way to the tavern to get some drinks to bring back to her love.

The tavern keeper already knew exactly what Leliana ate; she usually took meals from the dwarven tavern keeper as opposed to the kitchen staff, and gave Lyla a bottle of Orlesian wine to take back with her. Already, the pain of being away from Leliana was hitting Lyla and she said a quick thank you to the dwarf before leaving.

_Come to me._

Lyla turned on the spot, someone whispered, and she heard it. However, no one else reacted and although the voice seemed very familiar, Lyla had no idea who it could belong to. Perhaps she had overheard someone's conversation and she wasn't really meant to hear it.

_Find me and set me free._

Again, Lyla span, a growl forming in her throat as she did but the only reaction from the people around her was strange looks at the growling elf. She took a moment to collect herself, knowing that if anyone had recognised her, they would be expecting her to blow up and she couldn't afford to do that here.

"I must be imagining it." She whispered to herself as she left the busy tavern, "I didn't sleep well last night, that's all it is."

Lyla wasted no more time crossing the courtyard, ignoring the greeting of the small dwarf Harding, she already missed Leliana, and it forced her to go quickly.

In no time at all she was at the base of the rookery, the strange painted walls drew her attention for a quick moment before she tore herself away. A strange bald elf sat in the corner of the room, musing to himself whilst drinking from a mug and Lyla made a mental note to speak to him later.

She reached the bottom of the stairs when noises of clashing and the sound of metal on wood flew down from the top floor. Lyla picked up to a sprint and ran up to her love.

"You!" A nevarran accent filled the room, barely discernible over the agitated squawks of the ravens who made the tower their home. "You lied to me as well!" A book fell through the middle of the room, landing with a bang on the bald elf's table.

"I did no such thing, Cassandra." That was Leliana's voice, Lyla would recognise it anywhere, and as she reached the top of the stairs, she was met with a strange sight. A tall, black haired woman had Leliana cornered behind her desk, her gauntleted hands palm down on it as she leant forward. The books and papers that had once rested there lay scattered across the floor, or on lower floors. "You asked if I knew where she was, and I did not."

"Lying bitch." Cassandra screamed, she threw a punch across the table but fortunately, Leliana saw it coming and ducked under it. Lyla charged no one attacked Leliana, no one. "How is she here now, if you did not know where she was? We searched for 'your' Warden for a year, a whole blasted year, and you didn't even say a word. The Divine trusted you, I trusted you. How little I knew."

"Enough." Lyla growled, throwing a kick at the calf of Cassandra who collapsed to one knee. The Nevarran turned and rose in a fury, a wild punch landed on Lyla's chin knocking her to the floor.

"You!" Cassandra roared, marching towards the elf. "Where have you been? The world needed you and you just disappeared."

"I disappeared so you attack my Leliana?" Lyla spoke in a low voice. She got to her feet and was happy to see that Leliana had stood between herself and the bull of a woman, but Cassandra was not moving, she was rooted to the spot.

"I… You're right." The seeker spoke softly. She looked down at her feet before turned towards the balcony in the centre of the room, where she leant against the railing and looked down. "I believed you, Leliana, and I felt so sorry for you. I thought you must have been so worried about what happened to her, I should have known no one could escape your sight. I am such a fool."

"I am sorry, Cassandra, but I couldn't let Lyla get in harm's way again. I have come close to losing her too many times and I refused to allow it again." Leliana took her elf's hand as she spoke and a blush spread across Lyla's face. "If I had, could you honestly say I would not have lost the woman I loved at the conclave? That we would be any better off?"

"I… I understand, Leliana." Cassandra shuddered slightly before turning on the spot and facing the couple. Tears had formed in her eyes and a forlorn smile fell upon her lips. "I know the feeling of losing a loved one and would not wish it upon you, either of you. I have much to think upon." She smiled as warmly as she was able before turning and leaving.

Pain suddenly began to course through Lyla's body, her stomach felt like it was attacking her from the inside and her arms, Creators, her arms felt like they were on fire. The pain rose up through her chest, stealing her breath, and reached her head in a crescendo of whispers. A beautiful hum filled her head, distracting her from whatever sweet words Leliana was trying to say to her and for once Lyla didn't mind.

Leliana tried to pull her towards the desk but Lyla couldn't move. Her whole body felt sluggish, wary, and her blood felt thicker than sludge. There was something strange inside her, an alien feeling that made her feel dirty and wrong, her heartbeat began to sound in her ears, drowning out the humming and Leliana's now concerned words.

"Help." The word croaked out of Lyla's mouth as her legs gave way. Landing on her knees with a crash, her body began to feel like it was on fire, she tore at the sleeves of her shirt to let some air in. She threw the scraps of clothing to the floor as the cold air hit her, barely cooling her, and she couldn't suppress her sob as she looked at her arms.

Pale, grey blotches were forming on her arms, the disgusting alien feelings emanating from them. Leliana screamed as she ran to her love, recognising the signs from the last person she had seen with it.

It was the taint. Lyla's time had finally come and she was slowly changing, shifting, devolving. Becoming a ghoul, becoming one of the enemy she had fought for so long.

Lyla's vision swam, blurring the world before her and all she could see where stars. She fell to her side as the world turned upside down and span, nausea hit her, and she felt her empty stomach try to escape. She tried to right herself but the sweat that was pouring from her made her slip and fall again, hitting her head hard on the floor.

The humming reached a crescendo, a myriad of beauty and pain, a horrendously sweet song of need and love. She hated it.

Screaming, she lifted her hands to her face, about to scratch at the skin, anything to stop the song again but Leliana reached her and held them down. Somewhere, somehow, Lyla could just about hear the muffled sound of Leliana screaming for help, the sound of someone running up the stairs. She could feel the tears fall from her spymaster and land on her head but it was all so unimportant now. All she wanted, all she needed was to hear that song for a little longer, to figure out the words, and do as they demand.

_**Author's note**_

_**Well, this story started off with the aim of just being fluffy romance but something happened and a plot appeared! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, you probably missed it but my schedule is now on my profile page, for this story I am aiming to update AT LEAST once a month.**_

_**I honestly cannot believe the reception this story got. It was so much more popular than I ever imagined and I want to thank everyone who followed, favourited and/or reviewed the first chapter. Hopefully I didn't disappoint with the latest installment. **_

_**Translations**_

_**Ir revas – I am free**_

_**Ir suledin – I will endure**_

_**Ir abelas – I am sorry**_

_**Andaran atish'an – Enter this place in peace (Elvish greeting)**_

_**Ma nuvenin – As you wish**_


End file.
